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Scarfaceinthefall
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I know you. I know what you were, what you are. People don't change. You're Slippin' Jimmy! And Slippin' Jimmy I can handle just fine, but Slippin' Jimmy with a law degree is like a chimp with a machine gun! The law is sacred! If you abuse that power, people get hurt! This is not a game. You have to know on some level, I knew you know I'm right. You know I'm right!
~ Chuck revealing why he impedes his brother Jimmy's progress as a lawyer.
I am not crazy! I know he swapped those numbers, I knew it was 1216; one after Magna Carta, as if I could ever make such a mistake, never! Never! I just... I just couldn't prove it! He-he-he covered his tracks, he got that idiot at the copy shop to lie for him. [...] You think this is something, you think this is bad? This, this chicanery? He's done worse. That billboard! Are you telling me that a man just happens to fall like that? No! He orchestrated it! Jimmy! He defecated through a sunroof! And I saved him! And I shouldn't have, I took him into my own firm! What was I thinking? He'll never change. He'll never change! Ever since he was nine, always the same! Couldn't keep his hands out of the cash drawer! "But not our Jimmy! Couldn't be precious Jimmy!" Stealing them blind! AND HE GETS TO BE A LAWYER?! WHAT A SICK JOKE! ...I should've stopped him when I had the chance! And you, you have to stop him! You--
~ Chuck's infamous breakdown after being outsmarted by his brother during a trial, revealing how much he truly resents Jimmy.

Charles Lindbergh "Chuck" McGill, Jr. is one of the two main antagonists (alongside Lalo Salamanca) of Better Call Saul, the prequel series to Breaking Bad.

One of two co-founders of the prestigious Albuquerque law firm Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill, Chuck was a well renowned lawyer before taking an indefinite leave of absence when he claimed to experience symptoms of electromagnetic hypersensitivity, causing him to become semi-reclusive in his own home.

He is also the archenemy of his own younger brother of Jimmy McGill, whom he deeply resents over his history as an exploitative fraudster in the past. Despite his reverence for the law, Chuck is far from above committing hateful and immoral acts in the name of keeping his younger brother away from a law profession - thus inadvertently serving as a catalyst for Jimmy's moral deterioration and eventual transformation into Saul Goodman.

He was portrayed by Michael McKean, who also played Emperor Zing in American Dad!, Sarousch in The Hunchback of Notre Dame II, Horace in 101 Dalmatians: The Series, Elias Grace in Law & Order, Perry White in Smallville, Mr. Dittmeyer in The Brady Bunch Movie, Bill Case in Casper: A Spirited Beginning, Snow Miser in The Year Without a Santa Claus, Ian Peek in Batman Beyond and LG Algae in The Angry Beavers.

Personality[]

In stark contrast to his more smooth-talking yet deceitful brother, Chuck is self-serious and scrupulously honest. His loquacious manner of speaking lends itself well to the courtroom, but is mocked as pretentious by some of Chuck’s rivals. In addition to resenting his brother for his wanton rule-breaking, Chuck also envies Jimmy for his ability to charm people and make them laugh.

This envy stems from Jimmy being the “favorite child” of both his parents, even though he frequently stole from them. When their mother got sick, Chuck waited on her hand and foot, while Jimmy never visited; nevertheless, her last words were calling out for the absent Jimmy while ignoring Chuck, who was right at her side.

Chuck is prideful and arrogant, particularly when it comes to matters such as morality and the law. He regards the law as sacred, at one point refusing an offer to achieve his goal of forcing Jimmy out of the legal profession because doing so would require him to commit extortion. Despite no risk of being caught, Chuck takes offense at the offer.

His envious hatred of his brother is so powerful that Chuck on multiple occasions resorts to using others as pawns in his mental chess game against Jimmy, using his status and influence to convince Howard to take the fall and blame for actions that were not truly his and using Ernie as a pawn to get Jimmy arrested before ultimately firing Ernie.

Biography[]

He was the co-founder and named partner of Hamlin, Hamlin and McGill (HMM) and elder brother of James Morgan "Jimmy" McGill. When Jimmy is arrested for drunkenly defecating on a rival's car, Chuck reluctantly bails him out of jail and gets him a job in the HMM mail room. He is horrified to discover that Jimmy managed to pass the Bar exam and become a lawyer. Instead of getting over it, Chuck decides to do use his connections to undermine Jimmy's burgeoning law career in any way he can. He believes that Jimmy with a law degree is dangerous and an insult to the legal profession, and rationalizes his conniving and betrayal as serving the greater good. Chuck later hatches a scheme to have his brother disbarred. Jimmy, who for all his flaws is a loving and supportive brother, is completely unaware of Chuck's deception.

Chuck comes to believe that he suffers from a condition known as electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) which causes him extreme pain in the presence of batteries or electrical currents, though this disorder was later proven to be psychosomatic. Nevertheless, he refuses to leave his house, which he keeps completely dark, and shamelessly allows Jimmy to run errands for him, bringing him food and supplies.

Chuck eventually tries to disbar Jimmy after gaining evidence that he tampered with the Mesa Verde documents, nearly getting him arrested but changing his mind. However, after being tricked by Jimmy and Kim into proving that his EHS is purely psychosomatic, Chuck dives into an unhinged rant about his hatred for Jimmy and his actions, thus providing evidence to the Court that Chuck engineered the tape to take advantage of his brother and in turn derails Chuck's plan to disbar Jimmy, who is only suspended from practicing law for a year. When HHM faces a sharp increase in their malpractice premiums due to Chuck's condition, Howard Hamlin suggests that Chuck retire from the firm. In response, he sues HHM for his share of $8 million, knowing it won't be able to afford it.

However, Howard buys Chuck out from his own pocket, and is further humiliated when he announces his immediate "resignation" to the rest of the firm. Now with nobody and an empty cold house, Chuck's mental state went unknown to Howard and Jimmy, the latter of which only last visited him during the beginning of his breakdown and learned that he never mattered to Chuck at all. Chuck's EHS symptoms arose one day, and he tears apart his house. Later on in the night, Chuck scatters his legal papers, furniture, books and newspapers, along with the wallpaper from his house and other debris, all along the floor of his home. Each leading into a different room in a 'snake like' pattern. Chuck then sits at his desk, defeated and ruined, and kicks over a gas lantern he has resting on his tabletop. The lantern falls, starting a massive fire which destroys his entire house. Chuck remained inside and is quickly killed via smoke inhalation.

The next day, Jimmy, Kim and Howard arrive at Chuck's house to be greeted by the police and a coroner, carrying Chuck's remains away in a body bag. Looking at the ruined house, Jimmy realizes Chuck had relapsed and falls into a deep depression, believing himself responsible. Following Chuck's funeral, a guilt-ridden Howard visits Jimmy and Kim Wexler and confesses to ousting Chuck from HHM, not knowing Jimmy was responsible for raising the malpractice premiums. Jimmy lets Howard take the blame by concealing his role and immediately masks his depression with his usual happy-go-lucky demeanor. Jimmy's suspension would end early following a successful appeal where he feigns grief for Chuck, and he soon obtains a DBA to practice under the name "Saul Goodman".

Jimmy eventually follows Chuck's last advice and fully embraces his conman side as Saul Goodman. However, he continues to deeply regret how he treated his brother in his last moments. After Jimmy is arrested for his affiliation with Walter White and his drug empire, he confesses to his guilt over his brother's death in the courtroom despite not being criminally charged for it. Rather, it was his method to finally come clean in front of his now-ex-wife Kim, who Jimmy had appear in court. When Jimmy's lawyer, Bill Oakley, comments at the futility of confessing to Chuck's death since it wasn't even a crime, Jimmy responds that it was to him. It is then revealed that had Jimmy been able to travel back in time, he would've went back and mended their relationship. Ultimately Jimmy's final actions in the show prove Chuck's main gripe against him wrong as he proved that he was more than capable of changing.

Quotes[]

Chuck: Jimmy, if you don't like where you're heading, there's no shame in going back and changing your path.
Jimmy: Uh, when have you ever changed your path? Hey. Think on it.
Chuck: We always end up having the same conversation, don't we?
~ Chuck and Jimmy having a conversation.
It's not a situation, it's a condition. Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity. For reasons unknown, my nervous system has become sensitized to certain frequencies of electromagnetic radiation.
~ Chuck describing his condition.
Jimmy: I'm your brother! We're supposed to look out for each other! Why were you working against me, Chuck?!
Chuck: You're not a real lawyer.
Jimmy: I'm what?
Chuck: You're not a real lawyer! University of American Samoa, for Christ's sake? An online course?! What a joke! I worked my ass off to get where I am, and you take these shortcuts and you think suddenly you're my peer?! You do what I do because you're funny and you can make people laugh?! I committed my life to this! You don't slide into it like a cheap pair of slippers and then reap all the rewards!
Jimmy: I thought you were proud of me.
Chuck: I was! When you straightened out and got a job in the mailroom, I was very proud.
Jimmy: So that's it then, right? Keep old Jimmy down in the mailroom, 'cause he's not good enough to be a lawyer.
Chuck: I know you. I know what you were, what you are. People don't change. You're Slippin' Jimmy! And Slippin' Jimmy I can handle just fine, but Slippin' Jimmy with a law degree is like a chimp with a machine gun! The law is sacred! If you abuse that power, people get hurt! This is not a game. You have to know on some level, I know you know I'm right. You know I'm right!
Jimmy: I...I got ya a 20-pound bag of ice, and some bacon and some eggs and a couple of those steaks that you like. Some fuel canisters, it's enough for three or four days. After that... you're on your own. I am done.
~ Jimmy brutally discovering what Chuck actually thinks of him as a lawyer.
Chuck: You have to admit that shows a lack of judgment on her part. She knows you. She should have known better.
Jimmy: "You are such an asshole.
Chuck: Why? For pointing out that her one mistake was believing in you?
Jimmy: For Christ's sake, could we get some perspective here? It was a simple little commercial, it aired once, that's all. And can I remind you it worked – it worked like a dream?
Chuck: See, that's your problem, Jimmy. Thinking that the ends justify the means. And you're forever shocked when it all blows up in your face.
Jimmy: "What did I do that was so wrong?
Chuck: You broke the rules. [Jimmy scoffs] You turned Kim into your accessory. You embarrassed Howard who, God help him, inexplicably vouched for you with Cliff Main. You made Cliff and his partners look like schmucks. Shall I go on? How he hasn't fired you for this positively mystifies me. "Perspective." You want perspective? I'll give you mine. You're my brother, and I love you, but you're like an alcoholic who refuses to admit he's got a problem. Now someone's given you the keys to the school bus and I am not going to let you drive it off a cliff.
~ Chuck trying to make Jimmy aware of the consequences of his actions, especially on his personal and professional environment.
My dad... our dad, he was... well, the personification of good. I'm not sure he could even see sin in any form. He was born without the gene. He ran a little corner store in Cicero. Cigarettes behind the counter, penny candy--nothing special, but it kept food on the table. And the neighborhood loved dad. He knew everybody's name, what was going on in their lives... This little corner, he made it better. I was named after him. Before that, he worked for a lot of people over the years, and his dream was to be his own boss. Put everything he had into that place. I was away at college when he put Jimmy to work there. Jimmy grew up in that store, watching our father. But dad was not the world's greatest businessman, and eventually ran into money troubles. I, um, had a clerkship at the time, but I came home to help him get his books in order, set the ship straight. Now, I'm no accountant, but I discovered $14 000 was just... gone. Vanished over the years. Turns out Jimmy had pilfered it in gribs and grabs. Just took it out of the till. My dad wouldn't hear it. Nope. Not his Jimmy. He ended up having to sell. Six months later he was dead. At the funeral, no one cried harder than Jimmy. My brother is not a bad person. He has a good heart. It's just... He can't help himself. And everyone's left picking up the pieces.
~ Chuck to [[[Kim Wexler]]] about his father and Jimmy.
Jimmy, don't think I'll ever forget what happened here today. And you WILL pay.
~ Chuck threatening Jimmy.
Here's what's going to happen. The police will arrest you and I'm sorry, but I will be pressing charges. I told you there would be consequences. But I have to believe you'll face those consequences and you'll come out the other side a better man. I know it's hard to see right now. But Jimmy, this is an opportunity. That's why I'm doing this. Not to punish you. To show you... truly show you, that you have to make a change. Before it's too late. Before you destroy yourself. Or someone else. And I believe you can change. You'll find your path. And when you're ready... I will be there to help you walk that path.
~ Chuck to Jimmy, waiting to be arrested for breaking and entering.
Let justice be done, though the heavens fall.
~ Chuck on his will that justice punish Jimmy.
I am not crazy! I know he swapped those numbers, I knew it was 1216; one after Magna Carta, as if I could ever make such a mistake, never! Never! I just... I just couldn't prove it! He-he-he covered his tracks, he got that idiot at the copy shop to lie for him. [...] You think this is something, you think this is bad? This, this chicanery? He's done worse. That billboard! Are you telling me that a man just happens to fall like that? No! He orchestrated it! Jimmy! He defecated through a sunroof! And I saved him! And I shouldn't have, I took him into my own firm! What was I thinking? He'll never change. He'll never change! Ever since he was nine, always the same! Couldn't keep his hands out of the cash drawer! "But not our Jimmy! Couldn't be precious Jimmy!" Stealing them blind! AND HE GETS TO BE A LAWYER!? WHAT A SICK JOKE! ...I should've stopped him when I had the chance! And you, you have to stop him! You--
~ Chuck imploding in front of his relatives and the New Mexico Bar Association.
This condition, to me it's as real as that chair - it's as real as this house, as real as you. But what if it's not? What if it's all in my head? And if that's true, if it's not real, then what have I done?
~ Chuck to Dr. Cruz about his condition.
Chuck: Yes, I'm suing HHM for breach of contract.
Howard: Do you have any idea what you're doing?
Chuck: I believe I do. I'm calling your bluff. This is MY firm. I built it. Your father was working in a 2 room office when I joined him, and you, I tutored for the bar exam. You're not kicking me out. If you can't trust my judgement then, as you say, so be it. But you're going to have to pay me for my share. I believe it comes to around 8 million dollars. We both know the firm doesn't have the money.
Howard: You'd rather tear down HHM than retire?
Chuck: You think I'm trouble now, as your partner? Imagine me as your enemy.
~ Chuck and Howard arguing after Chuck decided to sue HHM.
Let me put your mind at ease, Jimmy. You don't have to make up with me. We don't have to understand each other. Things are fine the way they are. Hey. I don't want to hurt your feelings... but the truth is you've never mattered all that much to me.
~ Chuck's last words to Jimmy, refusing to forgive him.
Dear Jimmy, I have left many things unsaid in our relationship through the years. Rather than allow these unspoken thoughts to die with me, I’ve chosen to record them here for you. I hope you will take my words in the spirit in which they are intended. I remember quite clearly the day you came home from the hospital. You can’t imagine the joy on mom’s face. I can honestly say I never saw her happier than she was on that day. You brought a shine to our life that nothing else ever did and I’m glad of that. We have not always seen eye to eye. I expect that will continue to be so in the future, however, nothing will ever change the fact that we are brothers - flesh and blood. And though we are very different people, I want you to know how much I respect what you have made of yourself in these last few years. You have taken the opportunity I gave you in the mailroom and you have run with it, becoming a valued member of the HHM family. For all the problems in your past, I’m proud we share the name McGill. I sincerely admire your energy and resilience. I used to worry about you finding a place in the world, but I’m not worried about that anymore. I’m certain now that no matter what the future may bring, you’ll land on your feet and I hope when you read this, you remember me not only as your brother, but as a person you knew was always in your corner. Chuck
~ Chuck's letter to Jimmy, written at an unspecified point in time.
I can’t go back to being Jimmy McGill. Jimmy McGill the lawyer is always gonna be Chuck McGill’s loser brother. I’m done with that. That name is burned.
~ Jimmy telling Kim why he's practicing law under the name Saul Goodman.
Howard: Here. Let me show you a little trick. Something about the centrifugal force. It pulls the bubbles from the inside of the can, stops it from exploding. Don't want our clients to get a surprise, now, do we?
Cary: That works? Oh. Alright.
Howard: You know who taught me that trick? He used to do it, out of habit. Any time he opened a can, almost unconsciously. I asked him about it once. Just his way of being prepared for anything, accidental or otherwise.
Cary: Um. I'm sorry, I'm kinda new here. I have to ask... who... who is that?
Howard: Charles McGill. The "M" in HHM. Greatest legal mind I ever knew.
Cary: Wow. (Breathes sharply) I hope someone says that about me someday.
Howard: Well... maybe there are more important things.
~ Howard's conversation with HHM employee Cary Anderson, during which Chuck is mentioned.
Jimmy: What happened to Howard Hamlin, it was... it was... I can't even... After that, Kim had the guts to start over, she left town. But... I'm the one who ran away. And my brother Chuck - Charles McGill. Y--You may have known him. He was, uh, an incredible lawyer. The most brilliant guy I ever met. But he was limited. I tried. I could've tried harder. I should've. Instead...
Bill Oakley: Your Honor....
Jimmy: Bill, please! Just let me get through this. (to the court) Instead, when I saw a chance to hurt him, I took it. I got his malpractice insurance cancelled. I took away the one thing he lived for, the law. After that, he killed himself. And I'll live with that.
Bill Oakley: What was all that? That thing with your brother, that wasn't even a crime.
Jimmy: Yeah, it was.
~ Jimmy finally takes accountability for what he did to Chuck.

Gallery[]

External Link[]

Navigation[]

            BreakingBadLogo / Better Call Saul logo Villains

Heisenberg's Empire
Walter White | Jesse Pinkman | Skyler White | Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman | Mike Ehrmantraut | Todd Alquist | Lydia Rodarte-Quayle | Badger | Skinny Pete | Combo | Huell Babineaux | Patrick Kuby | Declan | Vamonos Pest

The Cartel
Dons/Leadership
Don Eladio | Hector Salamanca | Juan Bolsa | Lalo Salamanca
Salamanca Family
Hector Salamanca | Tuco Salamanca | The Cousins | Lalo Salamanca | Joaquin Salamanca | Gonzo
Others
Nacho Varga | Krazy-8 | Emilio Koyama | No-Doze | Tortuga | Gaff | Arturo Colon | Ximenez Lecerda | Carlos | Blingy | Benicio Fuentes | Miguel | Mouse | Sticky | Arlo | Ron

Los Pollos Hermanos
Leadership
Gus Fring | Mike Ehrmantraut | Peter Schuler | Max Arciniega
Others
Walter White | Jesse Pinkman | Lydia Rodarte-Quayle | Nacho Varga | Victor | Tyrus Kitt | Rival Dealers | Tomás Cantillo | Gale Boetticher | Chris Mara | Duane Chow | Nick | Dennis Markowski | Dan Wachsberger | Ron Forenall | Harris Boivin | Raymond Martinez

Neo-Nazis/Jack Welker's Gang
Jack Welker | Todd Alquist | Kenny | Matt | Frankie | Lester | Neil Kandy | Casey

Jimmy McGill's Contacts
Chuck McGill | Kim Wexler | Francesca Liddy | Saul Goodman Productions | Ed Galbraith | Ira | Betsy and Craig Kettleman | Cal and Lars Lindholm | Marco Pasternak | Jeff | Buddy

Other
Spooge | Spooge's Lady | James Kilkelly/Jimmy In-'N-Out | Old Joe | Gordie | Lawson | Scary Skell | Tucker | Caldera | Hoffman & Fensky | Daniel Wormald | Clarence | Sobchak | The Con Man | Espinosa Gang | Rocco, Zane and Jed | Gangbangers | Mrs. Wexler | Colombian Gang

See Also
Metástasis Villains

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